A pattern forming technique using an imprint method is currently receiving attention as a micro pattern forming technique that is used in place of a photolithographic technique. The imprint method is a pattern forming technique that transfers a micro relief structure to a molding resin using a mold having a micro relief structure, whereby the micro structure is transferred in actual size. For example, in the case of an imprint method using a photosetting resin composition as the molding resin, droplets of the photosetting resin composition are supplied to the surface of the transfer substrate, and the photosetting resin composition is filled into the desired relief structure by bringing the mold having the relief structure and the transfer substrate close together at a predetermined distance, and the resin layer is formed by irradiating light from a mold side in this state so as to harden the photosetting resin composition, then the mold is separated from the resin layer, whereby the pattern structure having the relief structure (relief pattern), in which concave/convex portions of the mold are inverted, is formed. Further, using this pattern structure as an etching resist, the transfer substrate is etched.
In the case of this imprint method, the positional coordinates and design coordinates of the pattern to be formed may shift due to an error generated during imprinting. Therefore, the relief structure (main pattern) to form a target pattern and a measurement pattern are set in advance, and the measurement pattern, which is formed together with the main pattern by imprinting, is measured, so that the magnitude and direction of the shift are detected, and the shift of the formed position of the main pattern is corrected (PTL 1, PTL 2).
Recently, a wire grid polarizer, which has a plurality of micro metal wires disposed in parallel, is used for photo-alignment processing or the like (PTL 3). For example, a polarizing element unit is configured by arraying a plurality of wire grid polarizers in a holding frame, so as to align the micro metal wires in one direction, and photo-alignment processing is performed with anisotropy, by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the polarizing element unit and irradiating the emitting linearly polarized light onto a curable resin composition (PTL 4). Optical elements are used for various purposes other than photo-alignment processing, such as for a member to improve the brightness of a display, and use of the imprint mold is under consideration to fabricate such optical elements as well.